Area Plan Commission allows man living in school bus time to change situation

Written by Marty Randall

Wednesday, 23 December 2009 00:00

Carl Butera has a year to change his living circumstances, thanks to a decision reached by members of the Scott County Area Plan Commission (APC) at a meeting held Wednesday night, December 9.
Five APC members were in attendance, chairman Dale Hobbs, David Kilburn, Jim Boswell, Jim Craig and Ed Cozart. It was Kilburn's last meeting because he submitted his resignation after serving for three years as Mayor Bill Graham's representative. It was Cozart's second; he was recently appointed by Scott County Commissioners to take the seat of the late John McDonald. Member Donald Wilkerson was absent because of another obligation. The seventh seat is to be filled by the county extension agent, a position which has not yet been filled by Purdue University.
Also on hand were APC Executive Director Jamie Knowles and APC attorney Mike Carter.
The matter before the Commission involved Carl Butera, a man who is buying a one-acre plot on Frog Pond Road from Rex Plessinger. It wasn't the size of the property in question because it was in that configuration prior to the adoption of a county zoning ordinance. The current ordinance requires two acres and 200 feet of road frontage in unincorporated area.
Rather, the APC had received a complaint before its November meeting about Butera's home, an old school bus which he had converted into what he considers a residence. Butera had been living in the bus near Blocher for several years, but a complaint against his living quarters was not filed until he moved the bus to the property he is buying.

Scott County Highway Superintendent Todd Carr got an early Christmas present from the Scott County Council during the Council's meeting on December 15.
The Council voted 5-2 to increase Carr's salary by $2,000 per year because Carr has resumed responsibility for all on-call situations.
As was explained at the Council's November meeting, the highway superintendent did not have that responsibility; rather, the county was paying two Highway Department workers extra money for seven hours of overtime each week for carrying cell phones and/or pagers that alerted them to after-hours situations requiring the help of the department, such as flooded roads, downed trees or the like. That policy, reportedly put in place in the 1990s, cost the county around $18,000 a year because not only did the workers get extra pay per week but they were also guaranteed a minimum of two hours when call-outs occurred. They were also paid for each hour that they worked over that minimum amount.
County Commissioner Larry Blevins had requested a $5,000 increase in salary at the Council's November meeting for Carr since the current superintendent was resuming all on-call responsibility. The matter was finally tabled after a lengthy discussion so that information from counties with similar levels of populations could be obtained.

A Scottsburg area couple found themselves being escorted to jail on Friday evening, December 4, and their flourishing marijuana business shut down when Indiana State troopers visited their home on Sommerville Road.
Carl Collings, 34, and his wife, Melissa White-Collings, 40, were taken into custody by Indiana State Police after a search of their home north of Underwood revealed an indoor marijuana operation.
Troopers Mark LaMaster and Robbie Caudill arrived at the home around 7:30 p.m. in conjunction with a narcotics investigation the two were conducting. When the woman answered the door, Trp. LaMaster said he explained to her that someone had contacted the Sellersburg ISP post about possible drug activity at the home.
While the officers were talking to her, Trp. LaMaster said he detected the smell of “...raw marijuana coming from inside the residence.” He asked permission to enter and to search the premises. Carl Collings agreed to let them in and told them that a third person was in the home, Amanda Mae Keeton, 26, Scottsburg.

Mark William Armstrong, the Scottsburg man arrested in 2008 and charged with production of child pornography, will most likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Armstrong was sentenced to 75 years on Monday, November 23, in U.S. District Court by Judge David F. Hamilton. Armstrong had pleaded guilty to three counts of production of child pornography. Because he was convicted of a federal crime, Armstrong will only receive 60 days of credit for time served per year he serves; consequently, he will not be eligible for release for more than 62 years. Armstrong is 40 years old.
Chief Judge Hamilton also imposed a lifetime supervised release following Armstrong's completion of his prison sentence. During any period of supervised release, Armstrong must be registered as a sexual offender for life and may not have any unsupervised contact with a minor child.
He was also fined $25,000.

The Ohio Valley Gold and Silver Refinery is hosting a five day precious metals reclamation drive in Scottsburg.
Local area business and the general public will have a rare opportunity to turn in their precious metals direct to the refinery where they will be paid on the spot. Ohio Valley Gold and Silver Refinery expects to purchase over $300,000 worth of antiques, collectibles, gold, silver, platinum and palladium during this five-day event.
The show began Tuesday, December 15 and will continue through Saturday, December 19. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The event will be held at the Holiday Inn Express in Scottsburg.
Refineries typically do not do business with the public. Rather, they deal with precious metal accumulators like jewelry stores, pawn shops, dentist offices or industrial facilities that trade with some form of precious metal. Gold, silver, platinum and palladium will be accepted each day of the event.